Bloc Québécois Leader Assures Canadians They Shouldn’t Fear Them
Yves-François Blanchet discusses the Bloc’s potential role as official Opposition and reassures Canadians about their intentions.
Bloc Québécois, Yves-François Blanchet, Canada, Liberal Party, Conservatives, NDP, Quebec
OTTAWA: So, Yves-François Blanchet, the leader of the Bloc Québécois, is keeping things chill about the idea of his party becoming the official Opposition. He thinks it would be a big deal, but he’s not getting too carried away with it.
In a recent chat, he mentioned that he doesn’t want to see elections as a matter of pride or trophies. He’s all about focusing on what Quebecers want and earning their trust. He believes they’ll give the Bloc a mandate, and he’s ready to handle it with humility.
Recent polls show the Conservatives, led by Pierre Poilievre, might snag a huge majority if an election were held now. The Bloc is sitting in a decent second place, ahead of the Liberals and NDP. If things go that way, the Bloc could end up as the official Opposition, which would be quite the shift.
Blanchet said if that happens, they’ll respect the institutions, even though he’s not a fan of the monarchy or the Senate. He wants to keep a positive vibe while still pushing for Quebec’s sovereignty.
He pointed out that when issues affect all of Canada, they’ll step up. But if it’s just about Quebec, they’ll focus on that. He also mentioned they’ll keep speaking French in the House of Commons, but he reassured English Canadians that they don’t need to be scared of the Bloc.
Blanchet believes what’s good for Quebec often benefits Canada too. He highlighted their efforts to raise Old Age Security for younger seniors and protect supply management in trade deals. He’s all about getting as many MPs elected as possible, whether that means being a smaller party with power or a larger one in a majority.
He’s confident that a strong Bloc presence would make any government pay attention to Quebec’s needs. He’s not shy about saying that Trudeau’s government hasn’t respected Quebec, and he thinks they might face a tough time in the next election.
The Bloc has only been the official Opposition once before, back in 1993. Now, with the NDP planning to vote against the government, it looks like Trudeau’s minority government might be on shaky ground.
Blanchet is ready to vote for an election at the first chance he gets. He’s not tempted to help the government just to get his bill on supply management passed. He believes there’s a lot more at stake than just that one issue.
He’s okay with letting the Conservatives hold up the House of Commons because he thinks it’s important to stand firm. He wants to be respected, and he feels the government didn’t deserve any help after not showing they were serious about negotiations.
If he could change one thing, he’d be more patient and focus on explaining their ideas better. He believes that if people don’t understand what they’re doing, their work doesn’t mean much.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 27, 2024.
Michel Saba, The Canadian Press